I was just talking about viewing experiences and choices available besides cable tv. Nowhere I mentioned anything about the internet, that's a different topic but a good one at that.
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Apple to Sell Subscriptions to Streaming Services Through its TV App
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Yes everyone wants to hook you up, have your money in a nice stream flow towards them.
Out of principle, I stay out of in most cases if there is other choices.
In order for a service to get content to end users, let's say HBO, they go through a partner, let's say Comcast, who would take a cut. In return, Comcast had to:
- Create a system that HBO could hook into, and then support HBO
- Act as an affiliate or referral agency to have Comcast customers become HBO customers
- Engineer, manufacture, and provide ongoing support for the cable box device that delivers the video
- Provide end user customer service and support
- Provide financial services: collecting money from customers, dealing with fraud and abuse, distributing payments to HBO, and paying the credit card service fee which is about 1.5% to 3%
In fact, if HBO's app simply collects payment outside of the Apple ecosystem, like HBO does right now, then Apple gets nothing at all. So Apple is currently providing all of those services listed above, for free. Only if HBO charges through the Apple ecosystem does Apple get any cut at all.
It's a bit weird to me that people think this setup is outrageous or unfair. I assume they just haven't really though it through. Can you imagine Comcast letting HBO onto their system for free? It's absurd.
P.S. Apple's cut is the same as the Google Play Store charges for subscriptions, but everybody seems to question Apple alone. I get that we are on an Apple blog in an article about Apple devices, so that's okay here in this context. But I see it in the general blogosphere too, which seems unfair and biased against Apple.
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I really like the TV app. I just wish DirecTV Now had integration with the TV app rather than having to download all the network’s apps for integration.
if the purchase is via the app then Apple is handling all of the cost processing and paying all the processor fees. so maybe 30% is a bit much but they certainly earn a little something. and places like Netflix etc do have the option to not having the fees via the app but rather on their own site and you just sign into your account. and Apple gets nothing.
As a DIRECTV Now subscriber, I've found absolutely zero use for the TV app except that it gives me a heads up if there's a sporting event on that I might be interested in. It's basically just curated content based on the TV network apps that you have installed and linked up with the TV app.
As far as I can tell, it has absolutely zero connection between the TV app and the DIRECTV Now app itself (which would be infinitely more useful, in my opinion). If I install a TV network's app on my Apple TV, I authenticate with my DIRECTV Now credentials, and then it asks me if I want to link that TV network's app with the TV app. Every time I'm asked that question, I say "Allow" or "Yes", but as I said at the outset, I have yet to find any real use for the TV app.
The only TV-related thing I really wish Apple could address in tvOS and iOS soon is to allow the TV network apps that I've installed to periodically ping my TV provider in the background to make sure my account is still active. Or, maybe it's not an Apple problem to solve -- maybe it's a DIRECTV Now problem. I know it's a first-world problem, but it's so annoying when I get the screen on the Apple TV or on my iPad where it says I have to sign in again with my TV provider to watch a show in a TV network's app. I already authenticated with my DIRECTV Now credentials, and I have to do it again every two or three weeks regardless of how many times I access a TV network's app. Those apps should be able to ping DIRECTV Now in the background to make sure my account is still active and I should never see another prompt to sign in unless I sign out or I change my DIRECTV Now credentials.
As far as I can tell, it has absolutely zero connection between the TV app and the DIRECTV Now app itself (which would be infinitely more useful, in my opinion). If I install a TV network's app on my Apple TV, I authenticate with my DIRECTV Now credentials, and then it asks me if I want to link that TV network's app with the TV app. Every time I'm asked that question, I say "Allow" or "Yes", but as I said at the outset, I have yet to find any real use for the TV app.
The only TV-related thing I really wish Apple could address in tvOS and iOS soon is to allow the TV network apps that I've installed to periodically ping my TV provider in the background to make sure my account is still active. Or, maybe it's not an Apple problem to solve -- maybe it's a DIRECTV Now problem. I know it's a first-world problem, but it's so annoying when I get the screen on the Apple TV or on my iPad where it says I have to sign in again with my TV provider to watch a show in a TV network's app. I already authenticated with my DIRECTV Now credentials, and I have to do it again every two or three weeks regardless of how many times I access a TV network's app. Those apps should be able to ping DIRECTV Now in the background to make sure my account is still active and I should never see another prompt to sign in unless I sign out or I change my DIRECTV Now credentials.
What everyone is missing is Apple’s opportunity to bundle services in packages and with ease of management. For example, offering History Vault and HBO Go together for slight discount without paying for each individually. This could be helpful gaining customers for each service that may have been sitting on the fence.
I agree. Amazon Prime Channels are a great way to watch TV and if Apple is trying to emulate that, it will be a good move
Netflix doesn't integrate with the TV app, so I'm not sure why I would buy a subscription from there.
This is good.
Even better is a monthly subscription plan to stream all the shows and movies in iTunes. Instead of renting a movie or paying for shows per episode.
Even better is a monthly subscription plan to stream all the shows and movies in iTunes. Instead of renting a movie or paying for shows per episode.
I love the TV app on Apple TV and I use it every day. It's basically my way to keep up with everything I watch *except* for Netflix, which won't play nice with the TV app. But since I have to think about going separately into the Netflix app and looking through my queue there, I honestly don't think I use Netflix as much as I would if they would just follow the lead of Hulu, Showtime, HBO, PBS, etc. and integrate with Apple's TV app. (I mean, look, Netflix has now FULLY integrated with Comcast's X1 user interface on their cable boxes. If they can get along with Comcast, surely they can strike a deal with Apple, no?)
That’s supposed to be what cable subscriptions are for. Bundling all the services together for one cost. But people don’t want that anymore because the single price cost has gone out of sight.
Netflix is the one Non-Subscription Channel. They are obviously doing well enough to control their own destiny. Nice if they would join the others.
Yep, I try to avoid subscriptions as much as I possibly can. I am starting to miss the old days when you buy upfront and forget about it.
As for Apple, I hope they come up with a subscription model that includes all their services for a good price. Combine Apple Music, movies, shows, iCloud storage, magazines, News, etc with a great price point. Having it all separate will just make myself ignore them all.
easy they'll slowly raise the internet prices to compensate for the increase in cord cutters. Who's stopping them? Is like you said their a monopoly in certain markets
Yep. I also told Comcast cable to GTFO a week ago. Sharing DirecTV Now between home and vacation house. UX on AppleTV a little clunky but workable for the savings vs. cable tv at two houses.
One App to rule them all, One App to find them,
One App to bring them all, and in the darkness bind them,
In the Land of Apple where the Shadows lie.
- Paraphrased excerpt from the "Ring-verse", J.R.R. Tolkien.
One App to bring them all, and in the darkness bind them,
In the Land of Apple where the Shadows lie.
- Paraphrased excerpt from the "Ring-verse", J.R.R. Tolkien.
Spectrum kind of has this now... I think. They switched to all digital in my area recently and I had to change up our plans. There was a bundle for about $80 with 100MB internet and a lot of channels. Or I could do the TV App thing for ~$20 and internet for ~$60. The TV App thing gave me local channels plus any 10 channels I wanted to add to it.
I went with the promotional bundle for now since it was about the same price with more channels.
When I subscribed to HBO Now, I just went straight to their website. Same price, and the content provider is getting all the revenue instead of peeling off a sizable percentage for Apple to just have for no reason. I do the same with any Mac app that is also available off the App Store.
Hey, you didn't ask me! I happen to like ATV.
If it won’t allow me access to HBO in the uk, no thanks. I’ll stick with Netflix even though it’s not great (aside from a few gems).
Meh. I’m honestly torn between keeping cable or cutting the cord. I don’t watch a lot of TV but I do consume ESPN, cable news and Tennis channel and other sports which I can’t live without. There is no other way to watch Wimbledon live. Cable is getting more expensive and I feel like I’m getting screwed by subsidizing cable cutters since they increase prices to maintain revenue. Cutting the cord is really only possible for those who mostly watch network TV shows which Hulu has.
I also can’t do without 5.1 sound and that’s missing in most ATV apps and other alternative services. What’s the point of having a good receiver and speakers if they’re not being used most of the time?
DirecTV now sounds like a decent compromise but when adding up all these services on top of my internet connection it ends up costing nearly the same. Spectrum is my only choice. FiOS is available but I prefer using my own modem and router and not their proprietary gateway. Both charge roughly the same for Internet anyway. I may just try it out just to get a free ATV4K for native H.265 support.
I also can’t do without 5.1 sound and that’s missing in most ATV apps and other alternative services. What’s the point of having a good receiver and speakers if they’re not being used most of the time?
DirecTV now sounds like a decent compromise but when adding up all these services on top of my internet connection it ends up costing nearly the same. Spectrum is my only choice. FiOS is available but I prefer using my own modem and router and not their proprietary gateway. Both charge roughly the same for Internet anyway. I may just try it out just to get a free ATV4K for native H.265 support.
They don't
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Thing is those 20 channels a la carte will probably cost the same as the 500 channel subscription